Sask., Alberta to collaborate on nuclear power generation

Alberta and Saskatchewan will collaborate on nuclear power generation as part of a memorandum of understanding unveiled Thursday morning.

Dustin Duncan, Saskatchewan's minister responsible for SaskPower, was joined by Nathan Neudorf, Alberta's minister for affordability and utilities, at a news conference in Regina.

The agreement between the two Prairie provinces will see them share information around workforce development, nuclear supply chain, the security of supply of nuclear fuels, and the development and regulation of nuclear reactor technologies such as small modular reactors (SMRs). 

"Saskatchewan has a long-standing co-operative relationship with Alberta on energy development, and we share similar challenges and opportunities related to decarbonization," said Duncan in a news release.

Neudorf agreed, saying he's looking forward to the partnership.

"Our provinces are leading the world in responsible energy development, and we look forward to learning from Saskatchewan's experience with nuclear generation," he said. 

What is an SMR?

Like their name implies, SMRs are much smaller than traditional nuclear reactors. They can also be manufactured elsewhere and assembled on site.

While a conventional nuclear reactor generates about 1,000 megawatts of energy, SMRs generate between 200 and 300 megawatts — enough to power about 300,000 homes.

The idea is to help fuel a transition to net-zero emissions. 

LISTEN| What role should small nuclear reactors play in meeting Saskatchewan's net-zero goals? 

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The Saskatchewan government has gone all in when it comes to Nuclear Power. $80M will be spent on research with the hopes of bringing a microreactor to the province. Proponents tout small modular reactors as a reliable power source with zero greenhouse gas emissions. But not everyone thinks this is the way to go. Today we heard some of the concerns people have about this emerging technology, and we heard from groups who will be directly affected by this industry including the Mayor of Estevan and the First Nations Power Authority.

In 2019, Saskatchewan, Ontario and New Brunswick agreed to co-operate in developing plans for SMRs.

Alberta would join the agreement in 2020. 

Ongoing development

Saskatchewan has entrusted Crown corporation SaskPower with its exploration of the technology. 

So far, SaskPower has identified Estevan, located in the province's southeast, and Elbow, located midway between Saskatoon and Regina, as two sites that could potentially host SMRs. 

A final decision on the location to build a reactor is not expected until late 2024, and final decision on whether to build an SMR in Saskatchewan is not expected until 2029.

If approved, construction could begin as early as 2030, with the first SMR in Saskatchewan becoming operational sometime in 2034.

In Alberta, the push for SMRs has only recently moved to the feasibility study stage. An agreement between Capital Power and Ontario Power Generation to study feasibility of building SMRs to generate power was announced in January 2024.

In March, Neudorf mused about Alberta adopting conventional nuclear power plants, such as the ones already in use in New Brunswick and Ontario.

Ontario is currently building the first of four SMRs at its nuclear facility in Darlington.